Phase change material used in some memory devices (“phase change memory devices”), generally exhibits two phases (or states), amorphous and crystalline. The amorphous state of the phase change material generally exhibits greater resistivity than the crystalline state. The state of the phase change material may be selectively changed by a stimulation, such as an electrical stimulation. Such electrical stimulation may be applied, for example, by supplying an amount of current through an electrode in contact with the phase change material.
For a phase change memory device, it is desirable to reduce the size of a contact area between the electrode and the phase change material because the size of the contact area is directly related to the amount of current needed to change the state of the phase change material. Therefore, reducing the size of the contact area also reduces the amount of current needed to change the state of the phase change material in the memory device, resulting in a more efficient memory device.
Accordingly, what is needed is a device and method of manufacture thereof, addressing the issues discussed above.